the dysfunction chronicles
by stars.everlasting
Summary: Team7!Anthology - a tangent of a malfunctioning cycle-I: He wants to belong so badly it hurts, and he hasn't felt hurt in a long time. Will be continued.
1. collapse

**So, random, unrelated Team 7 oneshots in a bunch equals?**

**title:** collapse

**fandom:** Naruto

**genre:** angst

**pairing:** none

**word count:** 652

**prompt:** and they all fall down (for El)

**disclaimer:** don't own it but want to.

* * *

><p><strong><span>c<span>**._o_.**l**.l.**_a_**.p.s._e_

It isn't fair, Sakura thinks.

It isn't fair that Team 7 is like a bunch of dominoes: topple one and the rest will follow. A twist of cruel fate.

_Naruto_ thinks, no, he believes that everything will be alright, that they'll bring back the teme and that Madara will be killed and that they'll be dysfunctional Team 7 again, laughs and smiles and rainbows and _happily ever_ _afters._

_Sakura_ knows better.

_Kakashi_, although he is wiser and more realistic, still believes that his favorite student will come home, and that things will go back to the way they used to be, broken and closely knit Team 7. Former glory. Used-to-be heroes. Faded sunshines. Once-upon-a-time _family_.

_Sakura_ knows better.

Team 7 really are like dominoes, she thinks.

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke<em> is the first domino to fall. With his tumble, he brings down _Naruto_, who leaves to become stronger to bring back his best friend, he brings down _Kakashi_, who drowns himself in missions and he brings down _Sakura_, the normal pink-haired one who everyone left behind.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ring around the rosies.<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Kakashi<em> is the second domino to fall. When he learns the truth, when he comes face to face with his former student, now deranged and angry and blinded by hate, he trips and brings down _Sasuke_, who further burrows into insanity, he brings down_ Naruto_, who is given the grim realization that his best friend, his brother is no longer who he was, and that it is up to him to save him and he brings down _Sakura_, who, still the normal pink-haired one, is, as usual, left behind.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A pocket full of posies.<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Naruto<em> is the third domino to fall. As he stumbles into the battle being fought to protect him, he brings down _Sasuke_, who faces his once brother, once friend, he brings down _Kakashi_, who is dismayed that all that they were fighting for is now within the enemy's reach, and he brings down _Sakura_, always the normal-pink haired one, now in the medical tents, is left behind.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ashes! Ashes!<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Sakura<em> is the final domino to fall.

As she defends her boys from Madara's rage, she is hit instead of them and her blood paints the hard, dusty ground as she plummets downwards. She brings down _Kakashi_, whose eyes are _ever so wide_, who is standing in shock, arms limply dangling at his sides, mouth a quiet 'o', she brings down _Naruto_, who is holding one hand and begging and screaming and crying for her to please, please, live! because she's his everything and he can't live without her and she brings down _Sasuke_, who is at her other side and is also crying and pleading and roaring for her to stay alive, dammit, because he needs her to be annoying and he needs her to smile at him and he just needs her, for Kami-sama's sake!

And her eyes fill with tears and she smiles a bloody smile and reaches up to cup their cheeks and closes her eyes as she feels the strength fade from her body and whispers, "I love you."

and

then

she

is

gone.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And we all fall down.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Sleep deprivation strikes again.<strong>

**I need a muffin.**

**Review and I'll share some with you :D_  
><em>**


	2. contemplated collisions

**Ah. Thankies to Nicole for prompting! :3 Hope you like.**

**title:** contemplated collisons

**genre:** friendship/hurt/comfort

**pairing:** none

**word count:** 847

**prompt:** she doesn't like to think/dancing around under highways/ smiling through the rain/reunited doesn't feel so good/looking at them with a sense of wonder, how is he so lucky?/ (for Nicole)

**disclaimer:** don't own. might in the future.

* * *

><p>Reunited doesn't feel so good, Sakura thinks.<p>

Everyone expected her to run into her boys' arms when she saw them walking side by side towards the medical tents of the Joint Shinobi Forces.

Naruto expected it. Sasuke expected it. Even she expected it.

But when she sees her once-upon-a-time teammate, flashes of a hand gripped around her throat and mocking crimson eyes make her feel _empty_.

So when her boys finally came back, she simply nodded in greeting and turned away, walking towards the next patient in need of healing.

Now, when all three are in the same room, the tension is so thick that even Sakura's monstrous strength cannot shatter it. It's akward, it's uncomfortable, it's filled with silent accusations and disappointment.

She doesn't want Sasuke back, because he's broken her perfect, perfect story of how she's moved on, of how she's living and being crazy, dancing around under highways with Ino when they're both dead drunk and singing opera under people's balconies, jumping into the freshly raked pile of autumn leaves and rolling around in snow just for the heck of it. She forgets him when she's crazy like this, and when she forgets, she feels so _alive_. And alive is good for her.

Sakura doesn't want him back, because he's not Sasuke-kun. He's not the stoic boy who cared at least a little bit, the boy who made her want to prove herself to him, the boy she fell in love with. He's only a lookalike. Uchiha Sasuke. Messed up. Twisted. Angry. The one who looks at her with bottomless eyes and blank stares.

And she hates it.

* * *

><p>Naruto binds them all together, she muses. He's taken over her role of the One Who Keeps Us Together And Sane, the smiling buoy who cheerfully extends a hand to the ones drifting helplessly in a sea of malice.<p>

Sometimes, when they're leaning against the railing of the bridge, now rusty with the paint peeling off (so reminiscent of their genin days), Sasuke opens up a little and they see remnants of who he used to be. Sometimes, when Naruto and Sasuke bicker like old times, and Naruto is complaining loudly to Kakashi that Sasuke is being an ass, he doesn't notice Sakura looking at them with a sense of wonder, how is he so lucky? she asks no one in particular.

How is it that Naruto, who has no parents, a demon sealed inside him, once looked down upon, how is it that he is so happy and caring and compassionate and forgiving? How is he so lucky that he has the abiltiy to forgive what the boy he calls his best friend has done? How on earth can he forget what sort of insanity Sasuke became?

It boggles her mind.

* * *

><p>Nowadays, after six months, she doesn't like to think anymore. Naruto's helping her believe that there is still some Sasuke-kun left inside Uchiha Sasuke, and she believes him, because Naruto is definitely the incarnation of some benevolent god, with all his sagelike qualities. She doesn't like to think, she likes to <em>believe<em>.

Sakura's seeing it herself, her Sasuke-kun! slowly, slowly coming back to life within his eighteen-year old body.

And she finds that her perfect, perfect story of how she's moved on is a lie. She finds that being alive has nothing to do with thrills anymore, but with Team 7 and imperfection. Flawed human beings, with forgiveness and laughter and acceptance bound together tightly with string that's bound to snap any moment, are what makes Sakura feel alive. Malfunctioning, reunited, and small smiles Team 7. Because, in the end, that's all they are, isn't it?

_Alive, alive, alive_. It's what she is now.

* * *

><p>"Hey Sasuke-kun, do you want to come for dinner at my place on Friday? Kakashi-sensei and Sai and Naruto are coming too. Just saying. Call it a proper reunion dinner, because having ramen at Ichiraku's made me want to cook anything but ramen for you guys. Will you come?"<p>

It's been years since she's asked him something akin to these lines, and Sakura notices shock flicker across his face, as if he expected her to be the last one on the planet to ever ask him to have dinner at her house, especially. Confusion filling the once-empty black void that are Sasuke's eyes, he nods, slightly bewildered.

Just as he does, a gentle drizzle begins to fall, causing both to gaze upwards at the rumbling, gray storm clouds.

"I'll drop you home," he murmurs, heading off in the direction of her apartment.

Sakura feels the familiar tingling feeling and her heart beats a little faster as she catches up to him and they walk together, because this is just like Sasuke-kun, and both of them know it.

Along the way, Naruto somehow winds up next to her, and the rain pours faster and harder and both Sasuke and Naruto begin to squabble, unaware that Sakura's fondly smiling through the rain at her boys, all three not noticing Kakashi sitting on a roof, eye crinkling as he watches pink and black and yellow stand out in the faint sunshine that peeks through the clouds.

* * *

><p><strong>OMGZ IT'S DONE!<strong>

**I timed myself, and finished it in HALF AN HOUR! **

**Yayyy. Muffins to reviewers! Remember, reviews are lurve. :3**


	3. forever friends

**title:** forever friends

**genre:** friendship/humor/hurt/comfort

**pairing:** none

**word count:** 889

**prompt:** "SHUT UP, NARUTO, I AM NOT CRYING." "Oh, are you...sweating through your eyes? I do that all the time, when no-one's looking. And when they _are_ looking, I just sweat through my armpits." (For Demi)

**dedication:** tea and sleep and recovering from the various illnesses which caused this late update. sorry :( blame it on the germs.

**disclaimer:** don't own. makes me feel even more clogged. (the snot clogs my brain, I tell yah.)

* * *

><p>"…I hate this."<p>

"Eh? Sakura-chan, what's wrong? Why is your face all droopy and tired like and old lady's? You've even got dark circles and everything. It's like-"

"…"

"…ITAI! What the hell was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"…You were being an idiot, dobe. That's why she whacked you."

"…But on my _head_? Of all places to whack? I mean, I might get massive brain damage! And lose my memory! Or go loony! Or…or…TURN INTO TEME!"

"…I am _not_ saying anything."

"Shut up, teme. Nobody asked YOU."

"…Hn."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Sakura-chan? Are you…_crying_?"

"SHUT UP, NARUTO, I AM NOT CRYING."

"Oh, are you...sweating through your eyes? I do that all the time, when no-one's looking. And when they _are_ looking, I just sweat through my armpits."

"…Naruto, that's disgusting."

"…Dobe…"

"What? Don't look at me like that! It works! I swear! It's effective! And since there's a lot of breeze at this time of year, whenever I raise my arms, the sweat dries off!"

"…Naruto…you…"

"And when it evaporates, there's not a trace of it left!-"

"-Except the odor."

"-Urusai, teme. I'm trying to explain this to Sakura-chan here! So anyway, there's no trace of it left, unlike the tear-er, beads of sweat that stream from your eyes! 'Cause they leave tear-I mean, sweat tracks and stuff. They're have salt and all in them-the tears-um, sweat, right Sakura-chan?"

"…I _refuse_ to answer that."

"…Hn. Dobe, how the hell does that Hyuuga girl love you? It's strange..."

"Hyuuga girl? You mean Hanabi, Hinata's little sister? She's in love with me?"

"…Sakura. After six, long years, the idiot still hasn't figured it out?"

"…Nope. Not a thing. Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. You didn't miss much in _that_ department."

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean? I'm no idiot! I'm _smart_! I'm so smart, I can save LIVES with…with…um…a TOOTHPICK! Yeah, a toothpick! Betcha didn't learn _that _when you were with the pedo-snake-man, teme! Or when you were with the undead-super-old-Konoha-hater-creepy-swirly-mask-relative-dude of yours. I CAN SAVE LIVES, DATTEBAYO! TAKE THAT!"

"…Save…lives…"

"…Sakura-chan, are you sweating through your eyes again? Isn't that unhealthy-OW! Teme! How dare you try and damage my precious brain!"

"Dobe. Can't you see she's crying?"

"…But she said she wasn't! And that means she was sweating from her eyes!"

"SHUT UP, NARUTO. LET ME CRY IN PEACE, FOR KAMI'S SAKE."

"Oh, so you _are_ crying!"

"…"

"…TEME! The next time you hit me, I'm gonna Rasengan your girly ass!"

"…Dobe, this is _not_ the time for this."

"…Whaddya mean, 'it isn't the time for this'? …Oh…yeah…ne, Sakura-chan, why is it that you're all sad in the first place?"

"…"

"…Sakura."

"…A patient. A little boy."

"…How old?"

"Eh? Guys? What are we talking about? And what patient?"

"…Four. Severe case of leukemia."

"…It's not your fault, Sakura."

"OH! It's about a patient! Of yours! A kid! The kid died, huh?"

"…"

"…Way to go, dobe. Now she's crying harder than ever."

"Aw, crap. Hey, Sakura-chan, c'mere. It's okay. You can't save everyone, you know. Hey, hey! You're getting my shirt wet! …Uh, no, no, _no_, Sakura-chan! It's okay, this shirt is old anyway…"

"…Sakura. It's all right. It was the boy's time to go."

"…"

"Here, teme. Hold her for a while. I gotta pee…"

"…Dobe…"

"…"

"…Sakura. The dobe's right for once. Sometimes, things have to expire."

"…_Expire_?"

"…Hn. Expire."

"..._Really_, Sasuke-kun? _Expire_?"

"...Hn. Shut up and go back to being sad."

"…But Sasuke-kun…he was so young…"

"…Let me rephrase that. Sometimes, people have to go, even if the time they spent on earth was very short. We can't control it. We just have to let it go."

"…"

"…What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"That's the most we've heard you say all day, teme. It's an accomplishment! You're learning!"

"…Dobe. When did you get back? And what do you and Sakura mean, _learning?_"

"TEME! Just now. We mean that you have a vocal handicap. And Sakura-chan and I were right, you conversationally retarded ass!"

"Hn. Dobe."

"AARGH, DAMMIT, TEME! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?"

"…Um, guys…?"

"YOU IDIOT TEME IMMA GO AND-oh, Sakura-chan! I know what you want to say! You want a big, steaming bowl of RAMEN! Am I right?"

"…Actually, yes. I would. Call it comfort food from eating it all the time."

"…Fine. But the dobe's paying."

"Aw man! Oh well. At least it's for Sakura-chan."

"Let's just go, guys. Come on. I'm a bit hungry…"

"Dobe, you'd better not eat sixteen bowls like last time."

"TEME! At least I can _eat_ sixteen bowls! No way is my stomach fragile like yours!"

"Since when was this about the strength of our stomachs, dobe?"

"SINCE-oh hey! Sakura-chan, you're not crying anymore! You're _smiling_!"

* * *

><p><strong>And I am not happy with this. :( Only the ending was satisfying..oh well. Tell me what you think of it! Review and you get a muffin and medicine if you somehow catch my cold. Oh, and Itachi will be the delivery boy in either case.<strong>


	4. celebration

**title:** celebration

**genre:** friendship/romance

**pairing:** SasuSaku, implied NaruHina

**prompt:** none

**word count:** 469

**dedication:** to our dear Sasucakes. Happy belated birthday! Sorry it's late, know it's not much, but hope you like it anyway. :)

**disclaimer:** don't own

**notes:** this is a disappointing fic for me. oh wells.

* * *

><p><em>It's over<em>, Sasuke thinks, as his eyes close, clouds of dust and shouts surrounding him still.

The war is finally over.

Madara is dead. In the end, Kakashi's first lesson, teamwork, was the Uchiha's downfall.

Sasuke can barely make out the "Teme.." and the "Sasuke-kun…" that is mumbled from somewhere nearby, until two thuds resound on either side of him. He doesn't need to open his eyes to know who the bodies lying next to him are. A hand, rough and calloused, but with slender fingers, reaches out to his from the left, and another, squared and strong, reaches out from his right.

Team 7 links hands.

A smirk slowly stretches across Sasuke's lips, as the sounds of battle die down and victorious cheers begin to sound off in the distance. Likewise, a face framed by pink hair has a gentle smile, and the tanned, whiskered one has a broad grin already rushing to meet the ends of his ears.

"I could really use some ramen right now…" Naruto mumbles, causing Sasuke to snort, and Sakura to chuckle lightly.

"Typical," Sakura's voice drifts lazily. "When we get back, you can have all the ramen you want at Ichiraku's, you silly fox."

"Really? I'll eat the whole stand, dattebayo!"

Sasuke cuts in, "Then you'll get indigestion, dobe. Even with that 'iron stomach' of yours, I doubt you can digest wood."

Naruto sniffs, offended. "Stop trying to be funny, teme, 'cause you suck at it."

A hand ruffles Sasuke's hair. "Slacking off, all of you?"

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says, her smile growing.

"The one and only," Kakashi replies, eye crinkling.

"We're not slacking off!" Naruto grumbles. "We just fought a psycho-immortal weirdo, Kakashi-sensei, give us a break."

Sasuke "_hn_"s in agreement.

"All right, all right," Kakashi says, hands raised in defeat. "But don't come running to me when the ground isn't comfy enough for you."

"Oh, go away," Naruto moans, waving him off with his other hand.

"Going," the silver-haired jonin calls, already a short distance away.

"Finally," the jinchuuriki breathes happily, already starting to snore.

Sasuke too, is almost drifting off to sleep until someone snuggles up to him and lays her head right above his heart.

"Glad you're coming back," she says softly.

"Hn," he grunts, tightening his hold on her hand. _I love you._

She smiles. "Took you long enough."

They begin to float into dreamland, accompanied by Naruto's happy mumblings of "Hina-chan~", until Sakura squeezes his hand lightly. "Oh, and, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hm?" he asks, gently squeezing back.

"Happy birthday."

Sasuke's lips form a lazy smile for the first time in years, as he replies, "Aa." _Thank you._

_I'm home._

* * *

><p><strong>notes2: <strong>AAAND IT'S DONE._  
><em>


	5. a tangent of a malfunctioning cycleI

**title: **a tangent of a malfunctioning cycle

**genre: **friendship/drama/romance/angst/hurt/comfort

**prompt:** He wants to belong

**word count:** 3,070

**dedication:** to Tobi's GG-chan, because I've been as busy as heck and she deserves this 'cuz it's long overdue. sowwie :( hope you like!

**disclaimer:** fuck you

**notes:** i'm tired. sorry if i screwed up the last bits. i'm PMS-ing. humidity is a bitch. so is the cold :/

**notes2:** tobi's gg-chan, sorry if it's disappointing. i tried a canon-thing blah. so tired. aaaaahhhhhh.

* * *

><p><strong>belong<strong>: _verb_. to be part of, to be in proper place.

_He wants to belong._

* * *

><p>When Sasuke Uchiha first comes into contact with other children, he knows he is different.<p>

He can throw or kick a ball harder than most. He can easily outrun the fastest, even those children older than him. His sight and hearing is excellent, he can hear a ball flying through the air from a mile away.

But that isn't all.

He has perfect features. Even as a cherub-cheeked five year old, he has a pale, chiselled face, thick, black hair that stubbornly stands up in spikes (resembling "the butt of a chicken", a child once remarked innocently, infuriating the offended party) and dark, ebony eyes that are wide and seemingly bottomless. Not only his female playmates, but the entire female population in Konoha squeal at the very mention of his name.

Mikoto adores her son, puffing up proudly whenever somebody compliments her little boy. Of course, Itachi she is immensley proud of, but he has outgrown his baby fat as well as his innocence long ago, and she has missed the squeals that come from seeing an Uchiha baby (well, her baby more than an Uchiha one). As Sasuke is still young and innocent, she can relax a bit more and sit back to see him enjoy the thrills of childhood.

Sasuke himself, however, never notices the attention he unknowingly garners for his looks or his blood. The way other children watch him warily when he arrives make him wonder if he is really similar to any of them at all. So, one day, he timidly approaches his father and asks him why all his friends act so strange around him, head bowed, shuffling his feet and peering at his father through his bangs.

Fugaku Uchiha is a formidable man. A skilled shinobi, leader of his clan, and someone to be greatly feared, he is also a stern father. As soon as Itachi could walk, Fugaku sent him to the Academy, where his son exceeded his expectations. When he did, Fugaku began to be very hard on his firstborn, stressing the importance of Itachi succeeding him in time. And when Sasuke was born, the expectations his father held for him were far greater.

As Sasuke asks his question, Fugaku is finishing up some paperwork. Slightly startled by the intrusion, he looks up to see his son quietly waiting for an answer. Fugaku stares gravely at him. It is time the boy learned who he is supposed to become.

"It means," Fugaku begins, "that you are different. Special. Born to be a shinobi, like your brother, like me and like the Uchiha who came before you."

At this moment, Sasuke looks up, his bangs swinging a little, eyes enormous. "Does this mean I can become like aniki?"

Fugaku gives a small, extremely rare smile. "Yes. Not _can_, however. _Will_. You _will_ become like your aniki."

And with that, Sasuke's ninja training begins, satisfied with the knowledge that he is different. (_but still, still the same. Always the same, as his beloved aniki._)

* * *

><p>As the young Uchiha enters the Academy, his eye is caught by two people: one with blond, spiky hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, whisker-like marks on his cheeks, and a broad, mischevious grin, and another, who stands out with bright pink hair, large green eyes, a slightly large forehead (which he thinks is cute) and a timid smile, both of whom he thinks are quite colorful people. The blond one he knows, is the one his father warns not to interact with. Sasuke feels sorry for the boy when he sees him swinging in the park all by himself, but he doesn't dare disobey his father.<p>

The pink-haired girl interests him. He sits next to her in class, partly because he wants to analyze this strange-colored hair up close.

He asks her about it one day, causing her to seemingly choke and turn red. He wonders if she has a fever, and places a hand on her forehead just to check. Sure enough, it's warm. The girl, however, turns even redder at the action and jumps, causing her to slide off her seat and land on the wooden floor with a thud.

"Owwww…." She mumbles, tears forming in her eyes.

"Gomenasai!" Sasuke wails, bowing quickly multiple times and then helping her up.

She hestitatingly takes the offered limb and sits back down after dusting herself off. "N-no, I'm sorry….it was my fault for being so clumsy..."

She timidly looks up to find him beaming at her. "That's okay. I shouldn't have scared you like that! Oh, by the way, I'm Uchiha Sasuke! I've never really introduced myself, have I?"

She smiles shyly back at him. "I'm…I'm Haruno Sakura."

The two are instantly friends, and the blond boy is watching them this entire time.

Later on, during break time, Sasuke and Sakura share their snacks with each other: cookies and tomatoes. Happily chatting and laughing, they do not notice the blond boy sitting quietly on the swing, still watching them.

As they are about to go home, the children come across some older kids kicking something on the ground. Curious, they come closer, and the other children, seeing Sasuke approaching, immediately scatter, for they fear the consequences of offending the Uchiha somehow.

On the ground lies the blond boy, dusty and bruised. Sakura immediately flies to him, gently helping him up and seating him on the swing, her hands flitting across his small form in worry. Sasuke also helps, and takes out a napkin from his bag and hands it to the boy, who slowly reaches out and takes it, big blue eyes wary.

"Why are you helping me?" he mutters, shoulders slumping forward and his hands clenching the ropes holding the swing, after Sakura is satisfied that he has not sustained any serious injuries and that he is fine.

Sakura turns to Sasuke, folding her arms and expecting him to answer for the both of them. Seeing her like this makes him fear for his life, she looks so much like his mother at this point, he doesn't want to be the victim of her wrath. Sasuke clears his throat. "We don't know why those older kids were beating you up," he begins, slightly embarassed, "but for whatever reason they did, I think they're wrong." He glances at Sakura, who nods slightly in approval and turns back to the boy, smiling. "I've noticed you've been sitting all alone on this swing for a long time now. Want to be friends?" she asks, sticking her hand out.

The blond boy, who has been staring down, expecting a harsh answer, immediately looks up. "But…" he begins, "haven't your mommies told you that I'm a monster?"

Sasuke and Sakura are taken aback. Just what kind of treatment has this boy been enduring? They wonder; the boy looks harmless.

Sasuke speaks up. "You don't look like a monster."

The boy shrugs. "That's what everyone calls me."

Sakura, who has been quiet all this time, grasps the boys hands. "You're not a monster, Naruto," she says, smiling sweetly. The boy, named Naruto, gasps. "You know my name?" he asks incredulously.

"Of course," she says, beaming. "You helped my friend Hinata-chan when she was being bullied. Monsters don't help people, but you did, so you're definitely not a monster!"

Sasuke tosses a tomato at Naruto, who catches it with ease. "I had extra," he mumbles, embarassed.

"So," Sakura begins, her green eyes twinkling and looking at him hopefully. "Friends?"

"We're already friends with him, Sakura," Sasuke says stubbornly. The two begin to bicker playfully.

Tears fill in the sky blue eyes, and Naruto looks up at his new friends (_he relishes the sound of it when he says it, thinks it, feels it_) his face breaking out into a big, ecstatic grin. "Thank you," he whispers to them. They smile and take his hands and begin leading him to the Academy, Sakura giggling and Sasuke whispering back, "Always."

* * *

><p>The Uchiha Massacre happens in the blink of an eye, and little Sasuke forgets who he was, forgets his friends, forgets his brother's love. He has now fallen in the clutches of hate and anger; now a boy who has become old before his time.<p>

* * *

><p>"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"<p>

A large, orange fireball emerges from Sasuke's mouth, making its way towards the bandit yelling a battle cry and targeting Naruto. It burns him, and the man screams and writhes on the floor of the cave. But Sasuke doesn't notice: he is too busy throwing kunai and spewing more fireballs to care, even the slightest bit.

Sasuke is a shinobi now. "_Just like your aniki_," his father's voice echoes, and the last Uchiha grits his teeth and fights with a fury that continues to grow. He imagines each bandit to be _that man_, the one who played the good and patient older brother, the dutiful and obeying-without-question son, the one who suddenly transmuted into an amalgamation of cruel, cold, indifference, and seethes, hate and killing intent oozing out of his body. His newly acquired Sharingan spins wildly, the two black tomoes whirling in a dizzying dance in a sea of red.

Sakura throws a kunai in his direction, and Sasuke barely manages to turn slightly as it whizzes past him, millimeters from his pale, still untarnished face. Sending an irritated glare in her direction, his former best friend winces and whispers, "Gomen, Sasuke-kun," and points behind him. He whips around to see a body on the ground, the kunai embedded in its arm. Sasuke is about to hurl a Katon jutsu its way when-

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

-his vision is suddenly blocked by an overwhelming amount of orange and blond. Sasuke scowls, as the "dobe" now bursts into the spotlight. Tens of Narutos cheer as they eliminate a large number of bandits with kicks and punches, yelling enthusiastically with glee.

All three are doing quite well until a gigantic blade is hurled their way. Sakura and Naruto are a good distance away, but Sasuke has too little time to react, if he doesn't move in nanoseconds _it will hit him_, and then a flash of silver, and the black-haired boy finds himself staring at the back of a Jonin vest. A kunai intercepts the weapon and it falls to the ground. Sasuke looks up to find Kakashi peering down at him, his visible eye crinkling. "Yo," he waves, and his arm moves to block another flying object.

Sasuke grunts his thanks, although quite unhappily; he still isn't stong enough, it seems. He moves off to retrieve the scroll stolen by the thugs, Sakura following close behind him.

As Naruto's battle cries and the sound of metal clashing echo off the walls of the cave and Sakura's footsteps timidly mimic his, Sasuke sighs. It is just another day for Team 7.

* * *

><p>Sasuke wakes, shivering as the power of the curse mark begins to spread all around his body. He emerges from the hollow base of the tree only to find a brusied and bloodied Sakura, hair roughly cut short (he remembers how she adored her long, silky hair), one green eye half-closed and swollen. Something in him stirs, and the old, protective instinct he held for her (and though he doesn't know it, still holds) when they were children explodes in his stomach, rage and adrenaline coursing through his veins. The black flames of the curse mark spread like poison ivy across his skin, as he loses his control and spits out, "Sakura…who did this to you?" in an ominous voice that sounds like him and yet, does not at the same time. When those responsible mockingly claim so, a crazed, purely horrific, insane grin spreads across his face as he embraces the power gifted to him by the traitor Sannin, and he takes pleasure in breaking their arms and legs and <em>I'll kill you fucking bastard<em>, until-

"STOP!"

-warm, soft arms envelop him from behind, and Sakura whispers brokenly, "Stop. Please, Sasuke-kun…stop."

Mikoto Uchiha flashes through Sasuke's mind. Soft, gentle, warm, _motherokaa-sanmommy_ fills his thoughts _and then_ pink and green and pleading and _pleasepleasesstop_ and the mild scent of Sakura, and all he can see and feel and smell and think of is her.

His one crimson eye stares down at Sakura's anguished face, cold and calculating, and then, slowly, the marks recede as she buries her face in his shirt and dampens it with her tears, his arms limply hanging at his sides.

And Sasuke sinks to the ground.

The terrified Sound Trio hastily take their leave, carrying their injured and fleeing before the Uchiha attempts to kill them again. They need not worry, though: Sasuke is filled with thoughts of-_mint and blood and tears and pink and emerald eyes so sad and stop!_-Sakura.

* * *

><p>Sasuke snarls at Gaara, hatred swimming in his eyes, the Sharingan a whirl of fury. No way, no way in hell, he thinks, is he similar to that eyebrow-less freak. No, he is stronger and faster and better and <em>above<em> him.

Gaara says Sasuke is the same as him.

_Dream on_, he wants to scoff. _At least I am respected in my village. At least I belong._

But then, but then, there is confusion and clash! and Sakura pinned to a tree by a monster of sand and then Naruto-_Naruto_ of all people-summons a king toad, and Sasuke clenches his teeth: Naruto is stronger than him. Little does he know that in the years that follow, Naruto will be stronger than Sasuke'll ever be.

And Sasuke grits his teeth in rage as the curse mark's black flames slither around his body, as he rushes towards the horrible creature-the Shukaku-adrenaline pumping through his veins and thoughts of defeating this _monster _and growing _strong _course through mind.

He catches Sakura when she is released, when she falls (just like he always had) and Pakkun notices how gently and tenderly the Uchiha boy places her head on the ground, although Sasuke himself doesn't seem to notice. He leaves with a sharp command-_protect her until it's over_-is what Pakkun hears, and is what he obeys, because the sheer emotion billowing from Sasuke's words makes him wonder.

When it is all done, Sasuke reluctantly tells Sakura that Naruto saved her, and watches the two with burning jealousy as Sakura smiles shyly at Naruto, who beams. Then, he reminds himself that she deserves someone better, someone like Naruto, who can give her all the love and affection Sasuke cannot. Or so he thinks, for now.

* * *

><p>Sasuke doesn't know how it happens. Maybe it is the fact that Sakura pays more attention to Naruto, her savior-he scoffs-and he doesn't want to acknowledge the jealous hatred boiling inside of him, as Naruto is also stronger then before (<em>stronger than him, even?<em>), maybe it is the fact that Konoha is giving him nothing, absolutely nothing to make him stronger and faster and better to kill him! and maybe it is the fact that the poison Orochimaru has given him is awakening a selfish, hateful rage-and is driving him crazy, that he angrily swipes the plate full of apples off its tray and uncaringly walks through the broken glass as Sakura stares nervously at him, that he explodes and charges at Naruto, Chidori blazing, that he snaps and snarls and bites back at everyone all the time.

Maybe that's why he decides to leave the village.

He packs his things in a backpack in an almost mechanical sort of way, the thoughts of deserting his home not so stark as the thoughts of leaving Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi behind. Sasuke stops and stares at the photo of Team 7, and grapples with himself as he debates on whether or not leaving is the right choice. He can still stay and train here…surrounded by his friends.

He stares at Kakashi. An exceptional teacher, he could probably help him reach his goal..and maybe fill in for the loving father he never had.

Onyx eyes shift to Naruto. To train with him, bicker with him, eat ramen with him…if he stays, they could maybe grow strong together. As brothers. True brothers, unlike his own, who betrayed him so long ago.

His gaze lingers on Sakura. If he stays, maybe, just maybe, he would be deserving of her, at least a little. They could maybe blossom into something more.

As "coulds" and "maybes" and "probablys" and "what ifs" swirl around his brain, Itachi's face flashes in front of Sasuke's eyes. The silent Uchiha compund, his parents' bodies, Itachi's cold, cruel words on that fateful night make him clench his teeth and gently pull down the picture until it rests, face down, as his eyes watch in sadness. Sasuke leaves, the wind swirling leaves through the open window.

* * *

><p>Leaving wasn't supposed to feel this hard, he thinks as Sakura pleads with him not to go.<p>

"You're annoying," he says with a smirk as her greengreen eyes widen in shock and tears.

He turns, but what happens next is so surprising, he nearly stays.

"I love you more than anything!"

Sasuke's eyes glimmer in sadness and pain and the bitter irony of it all, as Sakura cries and bares her heart to him. He swiftly appears behind and says the only words he can, the only words he truly means.

"Sakura," he sighs, relishing the last taste of _familiar_ rolling off his tongue. "Thank you."

And then he knocks her out, and gently catches her, picks her up, and leaves her lying on the bench.

It is by far the hardest thing he's done.

* * *

><p>As Sasuke charges towards Naruto at the Valley of the End, he mentally adds this to the list of hardest things he's had to do so far. Chidori crackling, the form the curse seal gives him takes away the last of his sanity.<p>

Sasuke almost gives in when Naruto pleads with him to come back, despite Orochimaru's influence battling with his wills inside of hime, despite him screaming at Naruto that he would never understand, despite charging and striking and bending and staring at Naruto's unconcious face, his hitai-ate undoing and falling next to the unconscious blond boy as the rain begins to fall.

Itachi's face flashes in his mind again, and Sasuke's resolve is hardened. He leaves with the Sound Four for Orochimaru and allows apathy to become his permanent acquaintance.

* * *

><p><strong>notes3:<strong> blaaaaaaahhhhh. that sucked. so tired. must sleep. fuck this. i'm going to _bed_.

**notes4:** i'll edit this when i'm sober.

**notes5:** naruchan is the best snuggler. goodnight. it's snuggle time for me, fuck whatever time it is bleh.


End file.
